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After

King of the Murgos

David Eddings1988

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

1 more ↓

  • The Crimson Sword

    Eldon Thompson2005

    A village youth is drawn into a war when a wizard assassinates a king in a world where magic was thought to be extinct.

    playful → earnest, still high fantasy

    pace0·prose+1·bleak0

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • The Claw of the Conciliator

    Gene Wolfe1981

    An exiled torturer travels with a gem that can heal the dead. The narrative uses archaic vocabulary and an unreliable perspective.

    playful → dreamlike, still chosen one

    pace-1·prose+3·bleak+1

  • Ficciones

    Jorge Luis Borges1945

    A collection of short stories exploring philosophical paradoxes, infinite libraries, and imaginary encyclopedias.

    playful → meditative

    pace-1·prose+3·bleak0

  • At Swim-Two-Birds

    Flann O'Brien1939

    A student writes a story about a man whose own characters rebel and plot against him. It incorporates Irish myth and multiple layers of fiction.

    Same playful register

    pace-1·prose+3·bleak-1

To recover

3 more ↓

  • Magician (The Riftwar Saga, #1-2)

    Raymond E. Feist

    Two boys from a frontier town are caught up in a war between worlds. One becomes a soldier while the other is taught an alien form of magic.

    playful → earnest, still high fantasy

    pace0·prose+1·bleak-1

  • His Majesty's Dragon

    Naomi Novik2006

    A British naval captain captures a dragon egg and becomes its handler during the Napoleonic Wars. The story follows their bond and aerial training.

    playful → earnest

    pace0·prose+1·bleak-1

  • The Crown Conspiracy

    Michael J. Sullivan2008

    Two thieves are framed for the murder of a king and must clear their names. It is a traditional sword-and-sorcery adventure.

    Same playful register, still high fantasy

    pace0·prose+1·bleak-1

Faster

3 more ↓

  • Promise of Blood

    Brian McClellan2013

    A Field Marshal stages a bloody coup against his king and must defend the new government using soldiers who gain magic powers from gunpowder.

    playful → propulsive, still epic fantasy

    pace+1·prose+1·bleak+1

  • The Lost Metal

    Brandon Sanderson2022

    Wax and Wayne track a shadowy organization to a city developing nuclear technology. It concludes the second Mistborn era.

    playful → propulsive, still epic fantasy

    pace+1·prose+1·bleak0

  • The worm Ouroboros

    Eric Rücker Eddison1900

    The Lords of Demonland engage in a long war and a mountain quest against the King of Witchland. It is written in archaic, ornate prose.

    playful → tense, still epic fantasy

    pace+1·prose+1·bleak+1

Slower

3 more ↓

  • Boneland

    Alan Garner2012

    An adult Colin searches for his lost sister while an ancient shaman performs rituals in the same landscape. The two timelines mirror one another.

    playful → elegiac

    pace-2·prose+3·bleak+1

  • The Habitation of the Blessed

    Catherynne M. Valente2010

    A priest finds the lost kingdom of Prester John. The story is told through three nested layers of journals, myths, and historical accounts.

    playful → dreamlike

    pace-2·prose+3·bleak0

  • Moonwise

    Greer Gilman1991

    Two women are pulled into a world created by their own folk-tales. The narrative uses dense, archaic language to describe a shifting landscape.

    playful → dreamlike

    pace-2·prose+3·bleak0

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • Last Argument of Kings

    Joe Abercrombie2008

    The Union faces internal revolt and external invasion as a dying king leaves a power vacuum. Multiple POV characters navigate a cynical war.

    playful → bleak, still epic fantasy

    pace0·prose+2·bleak+2

  • The Black Company

    Glen Cook1984

    An elite mercenary unit serves an immortal sorceress. The story is told through the cynical journals of the company's doctor and historian.

    playful → grim, still epic fantasy

    pace0·prose+2·bleak+2

  • The Dragon Republic

    R. F. Kuang2019

    A shaman soldier joins a rebellion to overthrow the Empress while struggling with opium addiction and a vengeful god. It mirrors Chinese history.

    playful → tense, still epic fantasy

    pace0·prose+1·bleak+2